Author: ktnorlander

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Make a Difference

“Should I Feed Them?” How to Help Wild Birds.

If you love wildlife and want to make a difference, you may wonder if you should feed wild birds. I’ve heard that providing food (and water and shelter) for birds is helpful. I’ve also heard that feeding wild birds can be harmful, making them dependent on you. Confused, I decided to do some research.

Here’s what I’ve learned: not only about feeding wild birds, but about other ways that we can we help them.

Should I feed them?

The short answer is yes. But you need to do so thoughtfully.

First and foremost, feeding birds probably does not make them dependent on us. Your bird feeder is almost certainly just one source of food for visiting birds, and if it is removed, they will find other sources.

But there are other concerns to consider besides dependency on feeders. One concern is predators, ranging from raptors to cats. Cats are a very real concern, but there are steps you can take to reduce their access to the birds at your feeder, including keeping feeders away from shrubbery that cats can hide in. And, for heaven’s sake, if you have a cat, keep it indoors! As for raptors, I tend to agree with Bird Watcher’s Digest: “it is all part of nature.”

More importantly, feeding birds can lead to bird strikes against windows, although this can be prevented by the appropriate placement of the feeders (Bird Watcher’s Digest suggests keeping feeders within five feet of a window or at least 30 feet away, as well as reducing the amount of reflective surfaces on windows.) And feeding birds can aid in the spread of disease among birds; however, keeping feeders clean and selecting bird seed with care can greatly reduce the chance that birds will become sick as a result of visiting your feeder.

As to whether or not feeding birds is helpful, most studies show that winter feeding can help birds survive harsh winters in better condition, although a couple of studies in the U.K. showed potential harmful effects in bird reproduction.

Despite the (mostly) positive news about feeding birds during the winter, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology points out that the most threatened species tend to be birds that don’t visit feeders, such as shorebirds and tropical species. Nevertheless, the lab encourages people to keep feeding birds, because doing so connects people to the natural world. And, when you feel more connected to the natural world, you are more likely to be an environmental advocate.

What else can I do to help wild birds?

  • Learn about when and how to rescue birds. Most baby birds do not need to be “rescued,” and of those that do, sometimes the rescue is as simple as returning a nestling to its nest. In the case of obviously sick or injured birds, one of the best approaches you can take is to look up your local wildlife rehabilitation center and contact them for advice or assistance.
  • Take birds into account as you landscape. Reduce the size of your lawn (or eliminate it altogether!) and add native plants that can provide birds in your area with food and shelter. Avoid using pesticides and herbicides.
  • Educate yourself about light pollution and take steps to fight it. Light pollution affects bird migration patterns, among other things.
  • Be a citizen scientist. You can help provide data for wildlife organizations by participating in bird counts. Within the U.S., the National Audubon Society sponsors the Christmas Bird Count and the Great Backyard Bird Count. You may be able to find additional bird counts in your area.
  • Keep this in mind: When you do things to preserve and protect the environment, you are helping birds. Whatever you do to fight climate change, support biodiversity, and avoid pollution has an effect on birds. When you’re a good steward, birds benefit.
Categories
Something Wonderful

You Probably Haven’t Seen If Beale Street Could Talk. You Should.

Last fall I decided that I wanted to watch every movie nominated for the 2019 Academy Awards’ Best Picture category. I made a list based on critics’ predictions. Most of the movies on my list were, indeed, nominated, with two exceptions: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (which is well worth seeing) and If Beale Street Could Talk. (Once the nominations came out, I also had to add two films to my list: Vice and Bohemian Rhapsody.)

Despite critical acclaim and the fact that it was directed by Barry Jenkins, whose movie Moonlight won Best Picture a couple of years ago, If Beale Street Could Talk bombed at the box office. And that’s a shame, because the critics were right: Beale Street is a gorgeous movie.

The movie is based on a 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name. (I’ve added the book to my “to read” list.) The main characters, Fonny and Tish, are long-time friends who have fallen in love. After Fonny is unjustly accused of a crime, Tish discovers she is pregnant. She and her family make it their mission to get Fonny out of jail before the baby is born. The story, at least in the movie, is told out of order but is easy to follow.

Despite the sadness and tension around Fonny’s incarceration, If Beale Street Could Talk is a quiet film filled with luminous scenes of Fonny and Tish wandering through the streets of New York in a haze of love. The script, the acting, the costuming, the cinematography — all contribute to the beauty of the movie. I saw many good films last fall and winter as I tried to chase down every movie on my list, but Beale Street was hands down the best of the bunch. (Yes, better than The Favorite.)

I’m not entirely sure why Beale Street didn’t get a Best Picture nomination. Maybe people believed it was too soon to nominate another Barry Jenkins film. Maybe Annapurna Pictures didn’t spend enough on a campaign for the film during nominating season. Or maybe the nominators were uncomfortable with the film’s theme. Whatever the reason, if you haven’t seen this movie, you absolutely should. Beale Street deserves better.

 

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Make a Difference

Whose Church Is It, Anyway?

Note: While I write from my perspective as a Christian, I do not consider this a Christian blog. That said, this is an explicitly Christian post. I hope that all of my readers, whatever their faith, will find some value in my musings about unity and diversity, despite the fact that my focus is on unity and diversity in the church. Thanks for being a reader.

If I asked you who the Church belonged to, how would you answer? Perhaps you’d need me to clarify my question: Was I talking about a particular church? If so, you’d say something like, “Saint Mark’s belongs to the Catholics.” But once I clarified that I’m talking about the Church as a whole, you’d probably answer, “It belongs to God” or “It belongs to Jesus.”

And I would agree with you. But that answer raises another question: Why do people get bent out of shape when the church they attend no longer looks or acts like them?

It’s easy to find articles and even entire books written by men about the feminization of the church. These men argue that more men would attend church if it was more masculine. They believe that, even if women don’t see themselves represented in the pulpit, most male pastors are feminine men, too touchy-feely for “real men.”

I strongly encourage you to read Kristen Rosser’s response to such criticisms. She suggests that we should, perhaps, change the question from “Why are so few men going to church?” to “Why are so many women attending church?” If women feel valued and welcomed, isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that the delicious fruit of God’s radical upside-down kingdom? Rosser also questions typical constructs of masculinity and femininity and addresses the misogyny behind comments about churches being too “feminine.” The problem isn’t that some men are expressing a need to feel more welcome at church. The problem is the assumptions and attitudes behind many of the statements made to justify the notion that churches have been feminized.

In the end, arguments about the feminization of the church may be irrelevant, since the gender gap in U.S. churches has declined since the 1980s.

But complaints about churches being too feminine aren’t the only controversies you’ll hear about representation in church. Even as some  churches strive to increase racial diversity, all too often people of color are expected to assimilate to white, middle-class culture. Chanequa Walker-Barnes notes, “At a highly diverse megachurch … the white senior pastor publicly announced that in hiring a music minister, he was looking for an African American who would ‘play white.'”

That’s not what true diversity looks like. Instead, it’s like an analogy given by Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah: “If I’m a guest in your house, you might fix kimchi for me, but you can throw it out after I leave. But if I’m living with you, that kimchi’s going to be in your refrigerator for a long time, and your milk is going to start tasting like kimchi, and you might not like it as much as when it was just a random, one-night visit.” Such diversity may make us uncomfortable, but discomfort helps us grow.

If churches are to reflect God’s inclusiveness, we need to allow those who are not like us to change us. We need to stop arguing about masculinity and femininity in church and instead focus on maturity. We need to be willing to talk about things that make us uncomfortable, to worship in styles that we’re not used to, and to accept leadership from people who are nothing like us. Because the church doesn’t belong to any one group of people. It belongs to Christ, in whom we are all one (Galatians 3:28). And if I say, “Of course we are all one” but insist on having things my way, then I don’t understand what “oneness” means.

Let’s start learning to be more comfortable with discomfort and work toward churches that reflect all of us.

 

Categories
Something Wonderful

Get to Know American Impressionist Lilla Cabot Perry

 

Lady With a Bowl of Violets by Lilla Cabot Perry. 1910.

Eulabee Dix is not the only female artist I became aware of through the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The museum also introduced me to American Impressionist Lilla Cabot Perry. Given her lengthy career and prominence, its a shame I hadn’t heard of her before.

Perry came to painting relatively late in life. She started pursuing formal study when she was 36, although her first known painting was made when she was 29 or 30 years old. She began her studies under a portrait painter; within a few years she was receiving instruction from a number of other artists in the United States and Europe. While in Europe, she became friends with artists such as Mary Cassatt and Claude Monet. The latter was particularly influential in helping her develop her own Impressionist style.

Edith Perry at the Window. 1891. Lilla Cabot Perry was in her early 40s when she painted this.

When Perry returned to the United States in the early 1890s, she worked hard to promote Impressionism. By the time she was 49, she was on the move again, this time moving with her husband to Japan, where they lived for a few years. Her exposure to art in Japan also helped influence her developing style.

 

In a Japanese Garden by Lilla Cabot Perry. 1898-1901.

By the time Perry was in her late 50s, she was helping to support her family through her paintings, largely due to financial losses they had suffered. Because they sold better than landscape paintings, most of her work at this time was focused on portraits, such as Lady With a Bowl of Violets.

Perry continued to paint until her death at the age of 85. There have been a few retrospectives of her work since 1969, thirty-six years after her death, and her work has also appeared in exhibits focused on female artists. You can find her art in several museums scattered across the United States, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, both in Washington, D.C.; the Hirshl & Adler Galleries in New York City; Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Terra Foundation for American Art in Chicago; and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Louvre also owns at least one of her paintings. (Note: Since museums rotate their art and loan paintings to other museums, her art may not be on display at any of the above museums if and when you visit.)

What female artists do you feel are underappreciated?

A Snowy Monday. Lilla Cabot Perry. 1926.
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Make a Difference

Ordinary People Making a Difference: Curtis Johnson

In my first story about ordinary people making a difference, I wrote about Mark Walden, who decided to get involved in real estate but wanted to make ethical choices in updating his buildings and setting rent. In this profile of Curtis Johnson, you’ll learn about how you can get involved in politics to make a difference. Full disclosure: While I did not vote for Curtis (I don’t live in his school district), I did march in a parade to support him.

From volunteer to school board

Curtis Johnson is a computer programmer, a husband, a father of two teenagers, and an involved church member. He’s politically active on the local level, most recently as a member of his district’s school board.

Curtis didn’t do much more than vote until the past few years. In 2016, he said, “I was tired of the election ads and the untruths. My kids hate it when I yell at the TV. Since my wife and I raised them to either do something about a problem or stop complaining, I realized I needed to take my own advice.”

Curtis started showing up at debates. Impressed by one of the candidates running at the state level, he decided to volunteer for her campaign. In addition, he served as a delegate for the 2016 Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor convention. “Some years, everyone who raises their hand to participate gets in; other years there are more interested people than slots,” Curtis said. “In those cases, delegates are selected after they give short speeches about how they will vote.” Some of those delegates go on to participate in the national convention. Curtis didn’t pursue that. “You need to be able to take time off work and pay your own way,'” he said.

When the election was over, Curtis began looking for some other way to be politically active. He considered running for city council, but he felt that he didn’t have the resources to pursue that. Then he realized that running for school board would be a natural fit for his interests. He had been active in the PTA for a while. He’d been president of the PTA at his kids’ school and served on the Minnesota State PTA board. He’d also been on committees that helped plan updates to schools in the Roseville Area School District, co-chairing one  committee.

Curtis’ experience volunteering for a political candidate made running for school board seem achievable. “Before that, I wouldn’t have knocked on doors. Once I’d done it for someone I believe in, I knew I could do it for myself,” he said. So he poured himself into the role of school board candidate, talking with everyone he could about the local schools. He’s now in his second year on the Roseville Area School Board.

What sort of commitment does it take to be on a school board?

As far as school board work goes, “You get out what you put in.” In Curtis’ district, the minimal time commitment would be attending two three-and-a-half to four hour meetings each month. Good board members put in a lot more time. In the Roseville Area School District, each board member adopts certain schools. Ideally, they attend events, meetings, and other activities to get the pulse of their schools, to answer questions, and to show that the board cares. This can add an additional five to ten hours per week to your time commitment. Some months that number can go higher. Curtis noted that he had ten concerts to attend over ten days in May. “And then there are the graduations and retirements.”

When he was running for school board, Curtis campaigned for at least five to six hours during the work week, plus at least an additional four to six hours over the weekend. He tried to keep Friday evenings free of campaigning activities. Of course, he had lots of help from people who knew him.

Potential candidates also should consider the cost of a campaign. Curtis noted that one of the biggest expenses is mailings. Door-knocking can cost as little as the gas it takes to get you to a neighborhood, although it’s helpful to have some literature to drop off. There are also expenses that may not occur to people who are new to politics, such as paying a graphic designer to create a logo for your campaign.

How does he do it?

“I don’t sleep,” Curtis said, probably only half-joking. He added, “I have to plan things. Before I pursued a seat on the school board, I was able to be more spontaneous. It helps to have support from my wife and to have children who are pretty much self-sufficient, other than needing rides to their activities.”

What does Curtis like about his political involvement?

Curtis likes how his political activities have forced him out of his bubble. When he was door knocking, he spent time listening and learning. He could see how people would arrive at certain conclusions, even if he disagreed with them. Curtis’ first priority is to understand the people he is talking to. When he talks to people who don’t believe in supporting public schools, he listens to their reasoning and validates how they feel. Then he may go on to explain how good schools can increase the value of a person’s home when they decide to sell it. “It takes the emotion out of the equation,” he said. “You can say, ‘Yes, you are paying a lot in taxes, but this still affects you.’ Most of the time people respond, ‘I hadn’t thought about that.'”

Does any of this make a difference?

Curtis hopes that his work on the school board is making a difference. As he said, “I’m only in my second year. I’ve spent a lot of that time learning what it’s like to be on the board. Making changes is like turning a cruise ship, but I hope that whenever I’m done, I will have affected things.”

What’s next?

Curtis doesn’t have any plans beyond his time on the school board right now, but, as he put it, “Five years ago if you’d asked me if I was planning to run for school board, I would have said, ‘No. You’ve got to be crazy!’ I’m enjoying the process of learning how things work and don’t work. I would need to learn a lot more in order to do legislative work. Right now I get to work with smart, connected people. I also stay connected with my friends at the capitol. They do a good job and help answer any questions I have.”

What advice does Curtis have for people who want to get involved in politics?

Curtis said that if you want to make a difference through politics, you should “find something that makes you smile and that you want to do, because sometimes you’re going to get up and not want to do it anymore. I’m motivated to do this for kids and their families, so that has helped me do the difficult things, like knocking on doors or speaking with people who aren’t nice about the ways they disagree with me. You need to have at least one thing worth fighting for. You should also surround yourself with friends who believe in the change you’re pursuing or who at least care enough to support you even if they disagree. I didn’t do this by myself. There are very few things that you can do by yourself.”

Post updated on 11/18/20 to reflect the new series title

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Something Wonderful

Dear Emma Newman: I Want to Write Like You

Dear Emma Newman,

It’s tempting to ask, “Where have you been all my life?” but I already know the answer to that question. Until 2013, you had only one published work, a 2011 anthology of short stories

Then the floodgates opened. Since 2013 you’ve published five books in your Split Worlds urban fantasy series, four books in your Planetfall sci-fi series, and two books in your Industrial Magic steampunk series.

So you’re a relatively new and very prolific author. Still, it seems a shame that I only learned about you this year.

I heard about the Planetfall series through one of the women in my book group. Based on her recommendation, we decided to read the first book, for which the series was named.

As soon as I finished Planetfall, I started gobbling up the other books.

Your vision of the near future is believable. It’s not hard to see how in a matter of decades corporations might run governments; humans might have a small station on Mars; food, clothing and other items might be printed on 3-D printers; and most people might choose to be chipped, making cellphones and similar technology virtually obsolete. Because you looked at current trends and envisioned a future based on these trends, you built a very credible world.

I love the fact that each of your books features a different protagonist. Your characters are complex and believable. You write about their struggles with such sensitivity that I wasn’t surprised to discover you have a background in psychology.

Your plots are also masterful. In Planetfall, you drop clues, then shock us as we realize just where these clues were leading. After Atlas is completely different — a murder mystery set on Earth — and the detective’s personal story is even more surprising than what he learns during his investigation. Told through the eyes of geologist and artist Anna, Before Mars hands us a conundrum: Is Anna sane, and if she is, what exactly is going on? With its delayed messages between Anna and her family and a communications blackout, Before Mars reminded me just a little of Moon. Finally, Atlas Alone is a chilling story that would make a great discussion-starter in an ethics class. All of the books are different, all of them are good, and all contain enough surprises that I wouldn’t want to give too much away to prospective readers.

While talking with someone about the series I told them that, while each book stands on its own, they should be read in order of publication. Each book builds on what we learn about your world and its characters in the previous books. So I was intrigued to see that you proposed an alternative order that would give readers a different experience. I can see how that would work; After Atlas is key to what we read in Before Mars and Atlas Alone, so putting it first would still make for a coherent experience. Too bad I can’t go back and read the books for the first time that way to see what that reading experience would be like!

The quality of your work and the number of books you have published in the past few years make you one of my writing role models. I plan to look for your other books and look forward to seeing what else you produce in the future.

In awe and admiration,

Kate

 

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Make a Difference

How to Use Any Job to Do Good

You can use any job to do good.

Once upon a time, I did marketing work for a university. We had great stories about things our students and alumni were doing to create a more just, sustainable world.

Sometimes I would complain to a friend and colleague that I wanted a job that would allow me to make a more direct impact on the world.

“You’re attracting students to this school, where they’re learning to make a difference,” she said. In other words, I was indirectly making an impact through our graduates. But I wanted to be doing the things our students were doing. Indirect influence wasn’t good enough.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be someone who makes a real, lasting impact on the world. But over time, it’s been a little easier to accept my friend’s wisdom and see how I am making a difference even if I don’t have an amazing career as a change-maker.

This post is for all people who dream of working on the front lines of change, who feel frustrated because they believe that what they are doing doesn’t make a difference. I want to acknowledge that your dream is beautiful and good, and I hope that you are able to pursue it. But you can make a difference right where you are, no matter what you’re doing. Here’s how:

  • Make a difference in the lives of those around you. The easiest way to use your job to make a difference is to treat customers and coworkers with kindness and respect. Try to show up for your colleagues, to listen to them not just as a coworker but as a friend. Be generous. If someone is doing a good job, let their supervisor know that. If someone is going through a challenging time, consider joining in with your office mates to give them a gift that will lift their spirits, or arrange a Meal Train so that they have help while they are home with a new child or recovering from surgery. No matter how lousy your job is, look for ways that you can show love to the people you interact with.
  • Volunteer. If your organization allows you to spend a certain number of work hours volunteering, or if your office participates in some kind of volunteer activity, use the opportunity to make a difference in the name of your workplace. Even if those opportunities aren’t available, see what you can do for others to make their work easier (without neglecting your own). Does your organization ever ask for volunteers to staff an event outside of normal business hours? Do what you can to show up at least some of the time.
  • Offer suggestions for change. Look for ways that your organization can make a difference and share your ideas with management. Maybe your company can sell more fair-trade products. Maybe you can stock the break room with more sustainable supplies. Or, maybe you see ways your workplace could be made more accessible. In some cases, you can just throw out your suggestion. In others, you may have to pull together a written proposal and make a formal pitch for your idea, being sure to point out how it will benefit your employer. Either way, if you see a way your organization can make the world a better place, speak up!
  • Blow the whistle. This last suggestion is difficult, and I hope you will never be faced with the need to consider it. But if you see something illegal or unethical, speak out. I know this is easier said than done. Even with protections from whistleblowing laws, you may have a valid fear of retaliation. Nevertheless, if you remain silent when you know about wrongdoing, you may become complicit in the act. I am not a lawyer and am not offering legal advice here. What I can suggest is that if you know of illegal or unethical behavior in your workplace, please consult a lawyer and determine the best path to bring an end to that behavior.

Do you have additional suggestions for ways that anyone can make a difference through their job? Please share them in the comments!

Categories
Something Wonderful

You Need to Watch These Two Australian Comedies From the ’90s

       

Strictly Ballroom and Muriel’s Wedding have a lot in common. Both are Australian comedies from the ’90s. Both feature a female lead who undergoes a physical transformation. In both films, actor Bill Hunter plays a key supporting role. Both movies were inspired by real life. Strictly Ballroom started out as an improvised play by Baz Luhrmann, the film’s director, based on his experience as a competitive ballroom dancer. Muriel’s Wedding director P.J. Hogan based the lead character on himself and his sister. And both films are on a list of “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die” by Steven Schneider.

So much for their similarities. While the films have a lot in common on the surface, they are very different in terms of plot and tone.

Strictly Ballroom is a frothy, silly rom-com focused on the world of competitive ballroom dance. At first it comes across as a mockumentary, but it soon settles into a more familiar format. The movie starts out with footage of and interviews about Scott Hastings, son of two retired competitive dancers, one of whom now teaches. Scott seems to be reaching the height of his career, but then he horrifies the world of ballroom dance by resorting to his own steps during a competition.

When Scott searches for a new partner, beginner Fran asks him to try dancing with her. He agrees, despite being offended that she would dare approach him.

From there, the movie takes a relatively predictable rom-com path filled with love and obstacles that are thrown in the dancers’ paths. But it’s so utterly delicious that it doesn’t matter that it follows a traditional formula. After all, we humans frequently gravitate toward predictable story patterns, like the hero’s journey, told in new ways. Strictly Ballroom fits the bill beautifully.

Muriel’s Wedding, while also a comedy, is more serious and less predictable. It’s a powerfully feminist tale about a young woman, Muriel, whose life is a complete wreck. She’s unpopular, jobless, and obsessed with two things: Abba and weddings. After she steals money from her family and tags along on vacation with a group of women who clearly don’t like her, she bumps into an old schoolmate, Rhonda. Like Muriel, Rhonda was unpopular in school, but she’s found happiness, and in encountering her, Muriel’s life takes a turn for the better.

Featuring Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, Muriel’s Wedding is decidedly darker than Strictly Ballroom, making the latter movie the better choice if you’re in the mood for something light. But this movie is surprising in ways that Strictly Ballroom is not, and it packs powerful messages. While its mature themes make it unsuitable as a family film, its feminist message — that who you are is more important than who you’re with — makes it a great film for sharing with teenage girls. And despite its serious side, the film delivers its message with lots of laughs and a great Abba-filled soundtrack.

 

 

 

 

 

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Make a Difference

One Job Should Be Enough

Why can't people get by on just one job?

I feel like we’ve gotten to the point where people are expected to hold down more than one full-time job.

Granted, more than 90% of Americans report holding “only” one job, although it is probable that the number of people holding multiple jobs is underreported. (In fact, nearly half of respondents to a Bankrate survey reported having a side hustle.)

Many Americans, including nearly 20% of teachers, are working multiple jobs simply to make ends meet. And those who are making enough are frequently advised to consider a side gig in part because it can provide something to fall back on if  you lose your full-time job. (If you’re feeling guilty after reading blog posts like the one I just linked to, which insinuates that if you have any time to relax outside of work, you should be using that time on your side gig, please check out my post on “shoulds.”)

There are plenty of people who take on a second job out of love. Many of these people are pursuing something that doesn’t bring in enough money to the pay bills. I’m one of those people. Writing is my passion, but I’m not likely to be able to make a living pursuing my own writing projects. For people like me, a second job, such as writing, is a choice. I strongly believe that is the way things should be.

Second jobs have definite drawbacks. When you take into account the cost of the extra commute (if you aren’t working from home) and other expenses that you might not incur if you had only one job, you may not bring much money home from your second job. You also have to make sure that your side gig doesn’t interfere with your primary job. And if you’re not careful, work can become your entire life, eating into time you could spend on relationships with others or self-care.

That last point is especially important. Healthy people need time to take care of themselves — physically, mentally, and spiritually — and to invest in relationships. It distresses me that I’m living in a society where side hustles are seen as the new norm — a necessity, not a choice.

What do we need to do to make having a second job optional, rather than a necessity?

  • We need to support a living wage for all workers. The Fight for $15 movement is an attempt to do that, though a $15/hour minimum wage is not enough to meet the needs of a single person in some locales, such as San Francisco, nor is it enough for many families with children. Nevertheless, a higher minimum wage is a good start.
  • We need to consider how best to help people who are unemployed. Unemployment insurance provides a safety net for a period of time after a worker becomes unemployed through no fault of their own. It is not available for self-employed people who experience a downturn in demand for their services. Some organizations are putting forth suggestions for revamping the current unemployment insurance system, such as this proposal to create “reemployment insurance” that includes eligibility for all workers, including the self-employed; options such as job training vouchers or stipends to assist with job search expenses; and wage insurance. I’m not advocating for (or against) this particular program. My point is that strengthening unemployment insurance could reduce the pressure on individuals to take on a side gig out of fear of job loss.
  • We need to ensure that all workers receive benefits that can help them make ends meet. We live in a wealthy nation, but the Affordable Care Act, which has provided better access to health insurance, is under attack. And the people who can least afford to be sick are far less likely to get sick leave than those who can better afford to lose income due to illness. We need to support the economic security of all workers — including the self-employed — through a portable safety net of benefits such as sick leave and disability insurance, thus helping more people to be able to get by on “just” one job.

It’s not wrong to choose to have a side gig or second job. But we need to structure our society so that these things are optional, not a necessity.

Categories
Something Wonderful

Shamelessly Listen to Anime Music

In 1979, I was watching American animation like The World’s Greatest Super Friends, which opened like this:

Fortunately, I also was being exposed to higher-quality animation in the form of the Japanese series Space Battleship Yamato or, as it was known in the United States, Star Blazers. Here’s how it opened:

Not only were the story and the animation great, but the series had really good music. In fact, it’s so good, that if you search YouTube for “Star Blazers concert” or “Space Battleship Yamato concert,” you’ll find several videos of bands and orchestras, ranging from school groups to professional ensembles, performing some of the most popular themes from the show.

That’s not to say that all anime has great music or that all American animation has terrible music. You need look no further than Steven Universe to find the jewel “Love Like You,” a beautiful jazz song that frequently accompanies the end credits.

But anime provides a treasure trove of music that stretches back for decades, like the opening theme for the 1995 show Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Part of the reason the music for anime is so good could be that anime isn’t just for kids. Anime has long targeted adults with series like Cowboy Bebop, which opens with the fabulous jazz song “Tank.”

But it’s also worth noting that the music for opening and ending credits of anime series is often written by popular bands. This means that it’s not unusual for a band to release a full-length video of a song they composed for an anime, like “The Day,” the first opening for My Hero Academia (Boku No Hero Academia).

And the artists will perform the full-length versions of their songs in concert, like this beautiful closing theme from Attack on Titan’s first season.

Excellent anime music can go beyond opening and closing themes, however. It’s clear that a lot of effort went into the soundtrack of my favorite series, Hunter x Hunter. The incidental music includes everything from references to Gustav Holst…

… to a jazzy theme for the character Leorio…

… to the screaming guitar of “Try Your Luck.”

Some of my favorite music comes from shows I’ve watched, but much of it comes from shows I’ve never seen. I’ve picked up the music mostly from what my child shares with me, though I could just as easily discover new songs by searching YouTube for “best anime music.” So while I’ve never seen Space Dandy, I agree heartily with my child that its opening theme is “a bop.”

And anime music has led me down rabbit holes to other music by particular artists: After listening to Kalafina’s “Magia,” the end-credits song for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I ended up checking out and enjoying some of their other songs.

Now for the bad news: If you want to purchase the anime music you love, that can be difficult (in fact, even streaming the music can be a challenge). I’ve had some limited success purchasing MP3s of the original songs on Amazon, but many songs aren’t available there. I’ve successfully found Hunter x Hunter OST cds online for purchase, but not everyone wants to buy a cd, and they can be expensive and hard-to-find. You will have more luck if you’re willing to accept a cover, and there are some decent ones out there. For example, it can be nigh impossible to find an original version of “Great Days” from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure on a reputable site, but if you’re willing to accept an English cover, this version by Jonathan Young and Caleb Hyles is good (here’s the original for comparison). Not all of the links in the video work (Spotify does), but if you search Amazon’s digital music for “Great Days Jonathan Young,” you’ll find it.

I’ll leave you with one last song — another from a series I’ve never watched. Listen shamelessly. Dance along. Give in to the pull of great anime music.